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Chapter 39 - Blue Fire Meets Red Ice (CF)
It felt as if the ghosts of Clubbas past were pouring their energy into Tubba’s shoulders, firing him up with adrenaline, lifting his spirits, allowing him to ignore the pain that pulsed through his belly from the blow Chubba had dealt him. It all rested on this battle, and Tubba felt no fear knowing that immense consequences of what was about to unfold. Closing his eyes momentarily, ignoring the fireballs whizzing past his scales, he thought of his parents. They had lived in this very Castle, all of thirty years ago, a bright and prosperous future for the Clubbas ahead, embodied in their two twin sons. It was his moment to atone for how he had bungled it, it was his moment to make them proud, wherever they were. Swerving out of the way of a fireball as he opened his eyes, Tubba skipped three steps over to the spot on the carpet where Ludwig was attacking, swinging his club at Ludwig’s head. The Koopa King thrust both his yellow scaled palms out, grasping the wooden handle of the club and holding it in place before Tubba could make contact. Ludwig kicked out with his foot, but Tubba was ready for that counterattack. Keeping their deadlock on the club intact as he danced out of the way of the attempted blow on his foot, Tubba brought his head down to headbutt Ludwig’s own. Pain seized Tubba as Ludwig countered by shoving his own head forward, driving the horns into the scales on the top of Tubba’s head. Battling through it, Tubba forced his right leg forward, intending to trip Ludwig, forcing Ludwig to rip his horns away as he evaded the attempt. A quick pause, with black eyes meeting dark blue, glaring over the club they both held tightly. Tubba jerked it backwards, tearing Ludwig’s grubby yellow hands off of the wooden handle. Pivoting on his back feet, he spun and slammed his club into the lighter belly scales of Ludwig, causing his enemy to lurch. Winded, Ludwig leaped a step backwards, before showing Tubba his right hand, the sharp claws glinting ominously. Ludwig stomped forward with his left foot before driving upwards with his right hand, avoiding Tubba’s attempt to block the attack by forcing Tubba’s arms away with his left arm, and sliced through the belly wound Chubba had given him minutes before. Roaring with pain, Tubba fell backwards, feeling the blood beginning to pulse out of that wound again. The sheer amount of adrenaline pulsing through him prevented him from lying on the ground and properly addressing the wound. Leaping up to his feet and pinching the flow of blood a second time, Tubba watched as Ludwig flaunted his now bloodstained claws. “You mess vith zee Koopas, you get zee claws.” Tubba punched with his free left hand, but Ludwig leapt out of the way easily. They sparred for minutes, Tubba trying to push Ludwig back toward two large, sturdy metal doors behind him, and Ludwig trying to force Tubba back toward the window they entered in. Scales began to litter the floor, and Tubba was positive there were more yellow than there were red. Blood streaked across both combatants, those on Tubba invisible. He hoped it gave him a psychological advantage, so that Ludwig could not visibly see how much blood was splattered across his scales. However, he knew that Ludwig could see how much he was weakened by the large wound in his belly. Elation coursed through Tubba as realized they were closer to the two metal doors. Ludwig was being forced back by his determined and persevering fighting, using the advantage of a weapon to his benefit. A sickening thump of metal on flesh echoed through the empty halls as Tubba connected his club viciously into the side of Ludwig’s head, causing the Koopa King to stagger backwards. Weariness showing in his every limb, Ludwig looked up at Tubba, holding a blood-streaked, yellow-scaled, clawed hand to his head, his hair matted and clotted with blood. “Give up!” Tubba shouted at Ludwig, who glared back, his dark blue eyes burning with defiance. Raising his hands again, Tubba saw the crackle of electricity, knowing what was going to happen. Concentrating harder than he had ever concentrated, he shot his own surge of electricity toward the Koopa King, the two jets of lightning connecting and exploding in golden flame in the centre of the hall, knocking both combatants backwards but leaving both unhurt. Tubba saw Ludwig begin to focus again, and countered once again with the same effect. Chips of stone began to fall from the ceiling as the whole castle rumbled with the force of the magic. Ludwig was tiring. Tubba knew it, and he felt as if he could walk on air. As the symbol of everything Koopan stumbled backwards, waving a clawed hand in a desperate attempt to generate more electricity, Tubba saw his opportunity. Drawing on the experience of everything he had gone through, from home, to the Zaz Kingdom, to Rogueport, to space, to the Koopa Kingdom, to the Mushroom Kingdom, and back at Gusty Gulch again, he felt the heat of a bolt of white lightning surge out of his fingers. Before he knew it, the electricity connected Ludwig and sent the Koopa King through the metal doors. Leaping through the cindering remnants of the door, Tubba felt cold air wash over his scales and wounds, like a refreshing dip in a spa. Dying red light oozed over the proceedings like a wave of dried blood, and the sky was nearly dark above, the first stars beginning to appear in the night sky. A roaring filled Tubba’s ears as he located Ludwig and resumed their duel, the Koopa King’s stubborn disposition leaving him no choice but to keep fighting. It was only after a few seconds of hand to hand combat that Tubba realized that the roaring was cheering. They were duelling on the stone balcony that overlooked the Clubba square, and Tubba could see the various milling bodies far, far below. They were nearly all Clubba - they had won the battle on the ground. It was just a matter of defeating Ludwig. “Give up!” Tubba shouted again at the Koopa King, who lurched away from combat and dipped onto one knee. “Do you surrender?” Tubba drew closer, hardly daring to believe it. Was it really over? Ludwig looked up, and the malicious intent in his eyes told Tubba that no, it was not over. Before he could do anything to react, he heard the crackle of electricity and his vision turned yellow. Feeling himself be hurled through the air, he barely internalized as he smashed into the stone railing of the balcony, his club flying from his hand, and his bottom half fell over the edge of the balcony. Scrambling for a handhold on the ruined balcony, everything below his shoulders hanging down over the square, a collective gasp reaching his ears as he heard the shock flit through the Clubbas, Tubba saw Ludwig walk calmly over to him, blood welling up from many a wound, but triumph and satisfaction lighting his gaze. The soft rumble of stones told Tubba his club was falling to the ground far below. Twisting to try and do something to avert it, he felt pain surge through his fingers and Ludwig dug the claws on his toes into them, cackling loudly until Tubba thought he would never hear anything again. Fighting to stay on the balcony, desperately trying to keep his fingers taut and stop them from slipping on the slick stones that were his only hold to life, Tubba glared up at the Koopa King, hoping that he saw the disobedience, fury, rage, anger in Tubba's eyes. Silence settled over the battlefield. “And here it ends.” Ludwig looked down at Tubba, a smug smile on his face. “The very balcony vhere your egg vas lifted above the town and you vere touted as a saviour thirty years ago.” Ludwig was right. His father had lifted his and Chubba’s egg up with so much pride all those years ago, proclaiming that this would be the Clubba to return them to greatness, the greatness they had seeked since the days of Cloansar. “Now, here you are. At my feet. About to die like zee peasant you are.” Tubba knew the situation looked bleak, death looking more imminent than anything else. But he had given up time and time before, and someone had come to his rescue. This time, he knew there would be no rescue. “Thanks, Ludwig,” Tubba echoed calmly, feeling his voice carry effortlessly down to the Clubbas below. Determination surged through him. “But you’ve got it all wrong. I was never a saviour, nor a peasant.” “I AM A KING!” Tubba shouted the words, making sure everyone heard it. Every muscle in his body screamed in agony as he thrust upwards, his arms digging into the stone for support, his back half of his body swinging up toward the balcony. He watched through the exertion as his club flew from below the balcony and connected Ludwig firmly on the head, falling to the ground with the Koopa King. Tubba clambered onto the balcony with victory in sight. He had managed to grab his club with his legs and hold it between the soles of his feet as he had dangled from the balcony. With the momentum of the swing upwards, it had been able to fly straight into the head of Ludwig. Grabbing the Koopa King by the neck before he could rise to his feet, Tubba used all the strength remaining in his body to hoist Ludwig into the air, showing him to all the Clubbas below. “You surrender?” Tubba asked calmly, to the rapturous cheers of the Clubbas below, feeling relief and elation surge through him. Sixteen years of wondering what his meaning was, what his point in life was, found in a single instant. The dark blue eyes of Ludwig’s burned with hate, but despite his struggles, there was nothing he could do to escape Tubba’s vice-like grip on his neck. He choked out the words as he struggled for breath: “I surrender unconditionally.” It was over.